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View from inside the Vista
Dome, running between Cuzco and Machu Picchu, Peru.
Rail Travel in Europe - It's
not AMTRAK !
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If you haven't traveled by train in Europe,
you should know it's faster, more efficient, and can be economical if you
plan right.
If you haven't traveled
by train in Europe, you should know it's
faster, more efficient, and can be economical if you plan right.
This past summer I did an
experiment. I took the train across Illinois
to Chicago, and
started my journey from O'Hare airport. I repeated the experiment on the way
back.
I did this so I could
write about the differences between
European
Rail Travel
and
American
Rail Travel. The results may shock you. It did me.
The Great Rail
Experiment
August in Rome is hot. August in Chicago is hot
and sticky.
Rome wins by a nose. But it wasn't the heat
that bothered me when I showed up at Union Station. It was the herding.
In America you are obligated to wait
for your train in a waiting room. Now, if you're coming from Europe
one of the first things you'll notice is that Americans are a larger people.
And their luggage is often bigger than they are. It's like everyone in Illinois
is smuggling Chicago Bears linebackers in their suitcases to show their kids
back home what they'll look like if they eat a side of beef every afternoon and
work out at the gym afterwards.
The waiting room is huge
as well. It is also packed wall-to-wall with people waiting to get on a train
that's sitting in the station. The seats are small and tightly packed together.
There aren't enough of them.
Then, 15 minutes before
the California Zepher is scheduled to waddle out of Union Station, hundreds of
people dragging luggage carts piled to overflowing form into lines without
being told to, a concept unknown to Italians. Five minutes before the train is
set to depart some guy in a spiffy uniform allows people to trickle onto the
platform. Then someone checks each ticket and assigns that passenger to a car
with others wanting to exit at the same destination. Can you see the enforced
inefficiency in this procedure?
Getting hundreds of
people on a train in five minutes using this method of torture is, of course,
impossible. Despite the fact that the train has been waiting at the station for
hours, it is late because they won't let folks just get on while it's waiting.
And at each stop the train gets later. Why? Because all the people and their
linebacker luggage needing to get off at any particular stop are
on the same car and
trying to exit through the same little door!
This is insanity. And it's planned.
Now, wipe this scenario
out of your mind. You are in, say, Venice.
You want to go to Treviso
on a day trip. You can stand in line to buy a ticket or, if you're hip, just
use the machines near the platforms, sliding your credit card into the slot and
coming up with exactly the ticket you need painlessly. If your train is in the
station you can just get on. If you want a quick coffee beforehand you can
belly up to the bar and get a really strong one in seconds. You can stroll onto
your train any time you please. You can sit in any seat on any car as long as
the class matches your ticket and the seat isn't reserved.
Once your journey begins
you'll notice the train rides as smooth as silk. Well, maybe there's a little
sway, but not the huge 10 degree tilts you get just out of Union Station that
send people in the aisle slamming into opposite sides of the rail car like
human pinballs in a machine about to go into tilt mode. You didn't need to show
your ticket to get on the train. You will probably need to show it to the
conductor when he or she comes round. If you're on the wrong train they'll tell
you...usually.
It's a more humane
experience. I'd even call it civilized.
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Tips for taking the train in Europe:
Do you
need a railpass or should you just be footloose and buy a ticket at the train
station? The answer may surprise you.
One of the
most frequently asked questions about European Rail Travel is "How much
does it cost?" followed by "Should I buy a railpass?" I've kept
track of my expenses on my last trip just to give you an idea of the cost of a
trip done entirely by walking up to a ticket window and buying the day's train
ticket.
I'll compare
it to what it might cost had I rented or leased a car for the same trip, and
I'll tell you how a railpass would have worked had I bought one.
The
Journey -Europe by Rail
So what does this
all cost? Do I need a railpass? Is it cheaper than leasing a car?
As a public service I've
recorded the details of a month trip around
Europe
along with prices and pithy commentary. Read on if you're interested in what it
costs to take the train in
Europe.
Two of us
traveled in a round trip from
Zurich through
Italy,
Austria,
the
Czech
Republic,
Germany, and back to
Zurich. We bought tickets
by walking up to the ticket counter at rail stations and purchasing them.
Each country
maintains its own pricing structure. In general
Italy
is relatively cheap for train travel, as is the
Czech
Republic.
Germany and Swizerland are
fairly expensive, so the total trip is pretty representative of what you'll
find in
Europe.
The table
below outlines our trip. Costs have been translated into US dollars and
rounded, even though all tickets were purchased in local currency.
Rail
Travel - Leg of Journey Cost for 2
Zurich - Bellinzona Switzerland 70
Belinzona to Padua, Italy 71
Padua to Venice, Italy 6
Venice to Villach, Austria 73
Villach to Vienna, Austria 58
Vienna to Brno, Czech Republic 41
Brno to Prague 30
Prague to Leipzig, Germany 70
Liepzig to Nuremberg, Germany 108
Nuremberg to Munich 21
Munich to St. Gallen, Switzerland 90
St. Gallen, Switzerland to Zurich Airport 35
TOTAL for
2 people-
$673
Note:
Be aware that you
can't order tickets for local trains off the internet as far as I know. The
prices you'll see listed on the Internet for
Padua
to
Venice, for
example, will cost considerably more than we paid because they're for the most
expensive express train running on that line--another reason to do like the
locals and just buy your tickets when you need them. For overnight trips and on
international trains that require seat reservations, you will want to buy your
ticket a day in advance if possible.
So what
about leasing a car?
The cheapest
rate for leasing a car (a small Peugeot) for 30 days listed by Auto Europe is
$719--and you still have to pay for gas.
Of course, if there's more than two of you this might
turn out to be the budget option. You can see more in a car, and can motor
around the countryside, visiting smaller towns and country villages. But if you
just want to see the major cities it's easier to forgo the car and related
parking headaches and just hit the train stations. I try to vary my trips by
the size of towns I want to visit--last year it was the major centers and I
went by train, next year I'll take in smaller towns and villages and lease a
car.
What about
a EurRail pass?
Railpasses
can be a bargain. Back in the 70s they were always a good deal. Today you have
to plan your trip well to make use of the many types of European Rail passes
available.
If you want
unlimited travel for two people, you'd need a Eurailpass Saver. A month's worth
of train travel would cost each person $804 for a total of $1608. Of course,
you're traveling first class instead of my
2nd. And you could go on day trips until you're sick and tired of trains
and you'd not pay a dime more--there's the convenience of knowing the pass is
paid for and any side trip you want to take is pretty much free from that
point.
Real budget
travelers might try the Eurailpass Saver Flexi, which allows for 10 days travel
over a 2 month period. It currently costs $592 for a two person total of $1182.
Still more expensive than our example, but you're getting
first class travel. The Flexi would be a bargain if you were traveling
longer distances (like, say
Rome to
Copenhagen overnight) on
each leg of your trip. Careful planning and long distant journeys will pay off
with the Flexi.
If you're
under 26 years of age you'll get a discount off these quoted rates. See the
Eurail website
for details.
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Reading Assignment:
Read Chapter
Five.
Discussion Questions:
- Define the term “light rail”. What’s the difference between “light
rail” and Amtrak (for example)?
- Go to
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Schedules_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922206&ssid=3
- Scroll to the bottom and locate
“timetables”.
Referencing the timetable for “Empire
Builder”, answer the following questions
about the Chicago-St Paul market:
What days does this train operate?
What time does it leave
Chicago?
What time does it arrive in St Paul?
Where does this train wind up? (What city)
- Go back to the main page. Scroll to the bottom and locate
“Specials”.
Click on “Multi-Ride Options” and answer
the following:
What is a multi-ride ticket?
Do children qualify for any discounts?
- Go to
http://www.britrailinfo.com/maps/map_en.pdf
- Click on “Map of Great Britain” and list the
countries that are included in a
Britrail Pass.
- Click on “Britrail
Passes and Tickets” and describe
how the “party pass” works.
- Go to www.eurail.com
and locate “Eurail Network Information” at the top of the screen.
Under “Special Trains”,
click on “High Speed Trains”.
- How fast do “high speed” rails go?
- What is the Eurostar route?
- What is the Talgo?
- What is the TGV?
- What is the Eurostar Italy?
Under “Special Trains”, click on “Scenic Trains”.
a. What is the Glacier Express?
Under “Special Trains”, click on “Hotel Trains”.
a.
Does the Artesia de Nuit stop in Pisa?
b.
Is Pisa fairly close to Rome?
c.
What train would take a tourist from
Pisa
to Rome?
Go to “Products
and Prices” and describe how a SaverPass works.
Does a
EurailPass include travel on the Eurostar?
Check under “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to find out.
What is the
Eurail Selectpass?
Do you still
need to make train reservations if you have a EurailPass?
- At the www.eurail.com
site, locate “Eurail Network Information” at the top of the screen and
click on European Railways.
Does Eurail service Eastern European
countries?
For Romania
(example), does Eurail give specific information about Romania rails and train names?
6. Japanese Rail Travel:
a. What is the “Shinkansen”?
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html
b. What is a “Green Pass”?
http://www.jtbusa.com/enhome/jrpass.asp
- Canada
Rail Travel:
- What is the Gourmet Train? http://www.viarail.ca/gourmettrain/en_index.html
- Which train could take a tourist from Vancouver to
Jasper? http://www.viarail.ca/en_index.html
- Mexico’s
Copper Canyon Rail:
http://www.coppercanyon-mexico.com/cc-mex/cctren.htm
- Where is Mexico’s
Copper
Canyon located?
- Where does the train begin and end?
- How long does it take each way?
- Peruvian Rail
http://www.cusco-peru.org/cusco-useful-information-cusco-transportation.shtml
- Where does this rail begin and end?
- Would you recommend this rail for a traveler
wishing to see Machu Picchu?
- Russian Rail- Trans-Siberian
- Does a traveler have to “rough it” to travel across
Russia?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/09/17/et-trains-117.xml
- The Orient Express
- What is so significant about this train?
http://www.orient-express.com/
- Where does the Eastern Oriental Express begin and
end?
http://www.orient-express.com/web/eoe/eoe_a1a_splash.jsp
- What kinds of clients might prefer Amtrak over a
rental car?
- What types of clients would stand be benefit from a
Eurailpass? And would you always
recommend a pass because of the value or the overall cost effectiveness?
